Molly's Muscle Therapy Begins!

I have been seeing some things in Molly's gait that I don't like lately.  Those shadows of "was that a limp?".  The slow weave poles.  Stiffness.   The head shaking and sneezing that I have been seeing on the agility courses at times.  She had a mild limp that lasted about five steps after running an agility course at class on Monday night, but then she was okay.  It was time for some preventative maintenence before a real lameness issue came around again.   We liked the chiropractor a lot and it certainly benefited Molly.  However, the chiropractor was over an hour away and difficult for me to work into my schedule on a regular basis.

Our friend has been having regular muscle therapy done on her dog Luna, and I have seen a big improvement in Luna's comfort in taking jumps and keeping bars up.  She seems more comfortable and strong.  And so, it was time for Molly to meet Michael!

She loves him.  L O V E S.  Molly had two sessions this week and both of them started out with the typical air kisses and spinning and pure joy of a dog with zero manners greeting somebody wonderful and fun.  Each session lasted about half an hour.  Michael has his own table, but we just used my groom table since Hey, why do more set up work than needed?   M worked Molly's whole body and said that her left lumbar was tight and that her shoulders and chest were very tight, especially on the left side.

Today her neck was also out.  I have so many concerns about Molly's physical comfort and soundness as we do agility.  She is a clunky dog with absolutely no sense of self preservation when she is "high" and it would be very easy for her to hurt herself very badly, and then mask it.  I worry a lot about her neck, I worry about her knees.  When she blows around agility courses, slips and slides on the footing.  When we hike and she gallops across boulders and roots.  When she leaps off of docks and slams into lakes and rivers.  When she runs after a ball and does a faceplant and slides end over her end through mud and gravel.

I have been teased a lot by my coworkers and friends. "Wish I was your dog." "That's one lucky dog!" "If I could be your dog for just one week!"  Hey, I knew the teasing was coming.  (after all, I already experienced it after I took her to the chiropractor.)  My dogs mean so much to me and I want them all to be comfortable and sound.  And I am asking Molly for so much physically.  And I am asking her to be consistent and fast.  (She's not necessarily complying, but hey!)  I take it all in stride.  I told Michael all this today and he had an excellent point.  "Tell them that if they run an agility course like Molly does, you'll buy them a free massage."  Truth!  Now that I would love to see!